On the Edge
by sebsbadkitty
Summary: Rose and Dimitri hurry off to Russia after one of his sisters becomes ill, and run into Abe and a mysterious stranger that is neither human nor anything they've encountered, and she seems to know what's going but she doesn't like answering questions.
1. Prologue & Fire

Nothing is ever what one wants it to be. Being young and believing yourself to be in love tends to make opinions that much more difficult to hear even if what is being said is the truth. At times like this it is always easier to believe the lie. At times like this, it is a lot harder to handle and accept the truth.

The rain poured as the young woman ran down the street back to her house, crying. She didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she seriously screwed up. Are sharp sting touched her awareness vaguely, but she kept running. Her skin began to tingle but she didn't immediately notice. It wasn't until she reached the front yard of her home that pain consumed her that she even realized something was terribly wrong.

Screaming out in sheer agony, she was vaguely aware of someone screaming her name as her legs gave out darkness slowly began to consume her. She was just barely aware of hands grabbing her before everything suddenly went black.

_Destruction be your only goal_

_For you to vent your jealous wrath_

_On gentle life with caring soul_

_And human victims to console: _

_As you are none, but psychopath. _

**-Mark R. Slaughter, **_**"Fire Ferocious"**_

The dinner had been going good. It was just your average get-together, really. Granted it was a Thanksgiving get-together that had been planned by my best friend, Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. Her guest list was huge. She truly out did herself, inviting almost everyone in Court. Of course, there was a small VIP section for her closest and dearest. That list included her half-sister Jill, her boyfriend Christian Ozera, me, my mother, my father, my boyfriend Dimitri Belikov, our friends Mia and Eddie, and my ex-boyfriend. Now I had no issues with this list or who was invited. I had just been worried about how this particular list would pan out.

I'm far from a coward. I'm Rosemarie Hathaway after all. Still, I couldn't shake the last time Adrian Ivashkov and I talked. It hadn't been a very pretty conversation really. Granted the whole thing had been my fault, but that didn't make his words any less memorable or even hurtful. He hadn't spoken to me since that day so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was actually quite surprised that he remained civil for most of dinner. It wasn't until dessert that things went bad.

"Adrian, can you pass me the chocolate sauce?" I asked, grabbing about five of the fried dough balls that Christian made.

Adrian didn't move to do as I asked. He didn't even acknowledge I had spoken. I looked up in time to see him taking a sip of his wine. I glanced around to find that those sitting closest to me had heard me speak and were eyeing Adrian and I with what I would think was trepidation. I tilted my head at him and raised my eyebrow. I really didn't want to make a scene. Though the 'VIP' table was closed off from the other guests, it wasn't completely isolated. It was raised up on dais over looking all the other tables and those guests were pleasantly oblivious to what was going on right in front of them.

"Adrian, the chocolate sauce, _please_," I said, choking out the please through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure your puppy dog over there would rather do it," he said, not so much as glancing at me.

"What?" I asked, slightly confused.

He looked drunk, but I wasn't sure if that was the only thing that was wrong with him as I watch him glare at Dimitri. I turned my gaze to Dimitri. Our eyes met and I couldn't he wasn't happy with Adrian's behavior. I wasn't happy either, but I was more guilt-ridden than actually upset with him. I just wish I knew what was really wrong with him. I couldn't tell if he hated him, if he was drunk, or if spirit's darkness was getting to him. I didn't doubt all three were entwined somehow, but I wasn't which one of them was the driving force. Luckily, I was saved from pushing as Lissa spoke.

"Adrian, it's Thanksgiving," she whispered. "Can't you be pleasant for one day?"

"Why?" he scoffed. "There's no reason for me to be. I haven't a thing to be thankful for. Not when the one thing that truly made me happy was ripped from me and the reminders are seated at the very same table as me."

"Adrian, they had no intention of hurting you," Christian piped up sounding tired.

Adrian's response came as a rude noise and a derogative string of words that were obviously directed to me. That was when I lost my patience and shot out of my chair and ambled over to him. I vaguely heard someone say my name a few times. Though perhaps it was more than one person, but I wasn't listening. I was just that pissed off. I stopped in front of Adrian and raised my hand to smack him only to be stopped as someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. As their arms wrapped around me like a straight jacket, I caught the sent of Dimitri's aftershave and immediately relaxed. Now calming me down probably wouldn't have been so easy if I had still been bound to Lissa, but I no longer carried the darkness. Perhaps I still had some left over but I know longer went into the random crazy phase. I just had a very short temper.

It was only then, however, that I became aware of all the eyes on me. The room was huge and elegant. Sounds echoed easily. So I caught a lot of people's attention when I abruptly left my seat and I begun to get called back. I looked around and sighed in mild disapointment in myself. I hadn't wanted to make a scene when Lissa had worked so hard to put this all together. Lightly pushing Dimitri off me, I turned to Lissa and closed the distance between us, ignoring all the gazes and the fact Adrian was begging for a broken jaw.

"I'm sorry," I said in her ear. "I don't want to ruin tonight so I'm going to go and cool off. I'll see you tonight."

I spun around and walked out. Now, if I had been on duty, I wouldn't have been able to do that. However, Lissa didn't want anyone to be forced to work on Thanksgiving, particularly guardians. She had fought with Hans for a month about it. He refused to leave Court unguarded. In the end, they agreed on volunteering. So two weeks before Thanksgiving a sign up sheet was put up. Lissa wouldn't let me or Dimitri sign it so we were both off and able to enjoy ourselves. It was just too bad that my relaxed mood disintegrated with Adrian's bitter attitude. Scowling at the events and emotions he caused, I made my way outside.

And I got hit by a blast of frigid air as I did so. I should've grabbed a coat. I knew that, but I just wanted to get out of there before I did something extremely stupid. So I began to walk. It was fitting weather really. The sky looked dark and angry and the wind was violent and howling. I wouldn't be surprised if it began to storm. It was probably cold enough for a mock snowfall. You know the type of snow that melted before it even hit the ground. Then again if I was lucky it would snow and perhaps no one would come out to look for me right away and I could get hypothermia. It was much better than thinking about what I would like to do to Adrian.

Sighing, I made my way to this little clearing at the edge of Court. It was a small little abandoned garden that a small alcove. It has a statue of a girl but had enough room behind it for me to fit comfortably. I wasn't worried about anyone seeing me. The garden was so overrun with weeds that no one really ever gave it a second glance. The only things remotely pretty to see were the bushes and trees that hid the alcove from view of the occasional passerby. I wasn't running or hiding, despite the number of jokes Christian had harassed me with. I just came here to give myself a quiet place to think without getting a lecture or something. It also couldn't be considered hiding if someone knew about it.

The first time I came here was after I got into a fight with my mother. It had been the day of the dreaded hunting trip that my parents were using to interrogate and threaten Dimitri. Yes, Abe was adamant about going hunting to do this little father/daughter's boyfriend chatter time. My mother was going with because she had her own set of questions, but I wasn't allowed to come with at all. When I asked why I couldn't, my mother said it was to prevent me from trying to hide the truth if they asked about something I didn't want them to know. I got mad, stormed out and disappeared. I stumbled upon this little alcove by complete accident where I ended up falling asleep. A few hours later, Dimitri found me and carried me off to my room. I woke up in my bed with him sleeping next to me completely unharmed, not that I honestly believed that Abe or my mother would seriously hurt him.

I didn't come here often. It was only when something was bothering me more than I liked and didn't want anyone to see it or try to get involved. Currently I didn't want to here Adrian bitching or Lissa apologizing for his behavior when it should be him. I especially didn't want to deal with Christian's snide remarks. The bastard was a good friend of mine, sure, but it was like having a brother with the sole purpose of giving me hell. These musings managed to calm me down enough for me to become aware of just how cold I was.

"Roza?" Dimitri's voice rang in the air, light. "You forgot a coat again?"

I smiled a little and came out of my little hideaway to find him holding out my jacket with a look of exasperation. I didn't say anything as he came over and draped me in my coat. I didn't say anything immediately. Instead, I just snuggled into him and let the warmth of him engulf me. When I finally opened my mouth to say something, Dimitri's phone rang. I rested my head on his chest and listened as he answered it. At first his tone was light and happy. It changed far to quickly for my liking though, especially since he was speaking in Russian and I couldn't understand what was going on.


	2. Stubborn Opinions

_A man alone _

_is a night alone _

_is a poem alone _

_a man alone _

_is alone _

_alone_

_**A Man Alone**__ -_** Shalom Freedman**

_Something's terribly wrong, _I thought as I watched Dimitri become more and more upset throughout the entire phone conversation. He spoke in Russian the entire time. I couldn't follow what he was saying for two reasons. One, he had yet to teach me any Russian. Two, he was speaking so fast I doubted I could have followed him if he were speaking English. I could guess who he might have been talking to though. Really, it had to be a member of his family, probably his mother or one of his sisters.

"Dimitri?" I asked uncertainly as he hung up.

I didn't like what I was seeing as I looked at him. He was white as a ghost and his hand were balled into tight fists. They had been trembling as he was on the phone. I couldn't help but think that something happened to Yeva. For an old lady, she had been as vibrant as — well — me. Still, thinking it could be his mom, one of his sisters, or their children was inconceivable to me. Somehow, anyone other than Yeva seemed far to horrible to consider, though I knew I was probably being unreasonable and even callous. Still, Yeva was ancient and well no one lived forever. The others still had so much more to live through and experience. Besides, I always saw Yeva as an invincible force and still did. Even if she was terribly ill, I could actually believe she would still be dragging people for miles carrying boxes and boxes of bricks.

I brushed aside my morbid musings as I realized Dimitri hadn't answered me. I also realized that he had stepped away from me. He was almost a yard away with his back toward me. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore an old forgotten pang of abandonment. I know it was absurd but this simple gesture took me back to after Lissa brought him back from his being Strigoi. It was a mild reminder of the period where he had wanted nothing to do with me. I realized that I was just being stupid, but I also could tell he was in some sort of turmoil. I closed the distance between us and grabbed his arm lightly. He nearly jumped out of his skin, making me jump slightly in shock. It was rare to catch him off guard like that. I had never been able to before.

"What happened?" I asked once he looked at me.

"Viktoria's sick," he said, his accent coming out a little thicker with his concern for his sister. "They don't know what's wrong with her and she's just getting worse. My mother wants me to come home."

That last sentence and the way he said it made my blood run cold and freeze. He had gone back to looking blankly out ahead of him. I just stood, watching him helplessly. I didn't know what to do. I had grown up on my own more or less. I was just now forming a relationship with my mother. I just recently met my father. Lissa was really the closest thing to a sibling I had, and I couldn't bare to think of her in Viktoria's shoes.

"I'm going to have to talk to Christian," he said. "Get some days off."

"He and Lissa won't mind us going to see your sister," I said without much real thought.

"You don't need to come, Rose," he said. "It'll just be a few days."

"I'm not asking, Dimitri," I said. "I'm telling. There's no way I'm letting you go there alone, especially if Viktoria's as bad off as you're making it sound."

"She'll be fine."

The words were simple, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. I shook my head and turned to go back to the Banquet Hall. I didn't really know how long I was outside, and wasn't sure if anyone was even still in there. If Lissa and I were still bonded, I would have been able to find her easily. As it was, I was somewhat going blind and thus had to start where I had left. I was just barely to the door when I felt Dimitri's hand close over my arm. I slowly turned to look at him and found him staring at me with determination. He really didn't want me to go with. I could see that.

"Why is it so important for you to come with me and do not say it's to be there for me," he said.

"I want to see them," I said simply. "And I don't want you to have to deal with this alone."

"I won't be alone, Roza," he whispered softly. "I'm going to see my family."

I just shook my head. That wasn't entirely what I meant. She knew his family would be there for him. The problem was that they were likely to be just as worried as Dimitri. Heck, she saw firsthand how much they valued their family when he told them about Dimitri. They all needed someone there without all the memories. Granted, I wasn't the most positive person in the world, but I wanted to help.

"Why is it so bad if I come?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"I never said it was bad. I just don't think it's necessary for you to come. Lissa needs you here."

I pursed my lips before replying. "That's not up to you. That's up to Lissa, and if she thinks she can survive a few days without me hanging over her shoulder."

As Dimitri opened his mouth to protest, I spun away and out of his reach. I had one clear mission in my head. I had to find Lissa. Well make that two things. I had to find Lissa and avoid any and all physical contact with my boyfriend.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this short chapter. Sorry it took so long. Oh and in case you're wondering. All the poems I find will be mostly from . It's a site that basically archives poets, poetry, and even song lyrics.<strong>


	3. I Win

It wasn't hard to find Lissa and convince her to let me off so I could go with Dimitri. She wouldn't even let Dimitri get a word in as he attempted to voice how unnecessary it was for me to come along, and of course I won. Though, Dimitri wasn't happy about it. That was obvious and a little upsetting. I really couldn't understand why me coming along was such a big deal. I must not have been hiding it as well as I thought I was, because as we reached my room, his hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him before I could even unlock my door.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning down at me.

"I just," I begun before pausing before going on. "Why don't you want me to come with you? I just don't get it."

I didn't bother adding that it made me feel like an old couch that was being shipped off to good will. He stared at me for such a long time that I was sure that he wasn't going to answer me at all. This wasn't exactly knew. He's left some of my questions unanswered for a while before finally answering them. Most of the time it was just him trying to word things right. Sometimes, he just didn't want to answer me.

"I know how much you worry about Lissa," he finally said. "You used to be able to check on her whenever you wanted. That bonds gone now, Roza, and the last thing I want you to do is worry even more."

"If you leave me here," I argued, frowning, "I'll still be worried. I'll just be worried about you instead. Then, I'll be useless to Lissa. How can I protect her if all I can think about is if you're okay or not?"

Dimitri let out a frustrated breath before he took my key from my hand and unlocked the door. He ushered me in and shut the door behind us. I watched him make his way to my mini kitchen and grab some cans of Pepsi out. He tossed one to me. I caught it easily and sat down on my Lay-Z-Boy. I watched Dimitri as he opened his can and leaned against the wall in front of me. He took a sip as I tried to read his expression. It wasn't the easiest feat for most, but I was lucky enough to know him in a way most didn't.

"It has nothing to do with you coming with," he said. "At least, not really. I just don't want you hurt. I left on a vacation, Rose. Ivan was killed and I've never stopped blaming myself. He was my best friend, but we never had a bond as strong you and Lissa do. That nearly destroyed me. I can only imagine what it would be like for you if you lost her, but I don't want you to feel that guilt. You don't have the bond to protect her anymore."

"I'll deal with it if it happens. I'll have you to help with that, but I won't be any use here if I worried about you. You know I won't stop worrying."

"Two weeks, Rose," he said after some hesitation. "And if Lissa needs you back before then you're coming back. If Viktoria is still sick and I decide to stay longer than the two weeks, you're still going home. Is that clear?"

Disheartened, I nodded and headed off to my bedroom. I shut my door as Dimitri started to say something and locked it. I didn't like feeling unwanted or unneeded. I know Dimitri's intentions wasn't to make me feel like that. It just happened. In a way, I understood where he was coming from. Losing his charge and dear friend had hurt him greatly, damaged him to the point where he had completely closed from everyone until I came in. He didn't want me to go through that with Lissa now that my leaving her wasn't imperative to my survival and I could no longer go into her head to check up on her. Still, there was a part of me — a small part — that told me that he wasn't acting any different than he had after Lissa healed him.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He wasn't telling me that his feelings had changed or how it was Lissa who saved him. Still, it seemed that it was that way. Shrugging off the worries, I started packing for the trip. When I was finished, I put my suitcase by the door and left my room only to collide into Dimitri. I took step away from, still wanting some distance between us. He wouldn't have any of it though, because he pulled me back into his chest and wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. I let out a disgruntled huff, trying to stay mad at him. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"Trust me," he said. "Staying away from Lissa for any longer than two weeks and you'll be going insane without her. Think about, Roza. You can't check up on her whenever you want anymore and even when you could you always worried about her."

"I don't want to leave you alone," I said.

"You're not. When's the flight?"

I smirked at that. After Lissa had agreed to let me off, we started chatting about the trip and Dimitri had gone off to talk to Christian outside of the room. He wasn't there when Lissa booked the flight for us.

"Early, like five," I said, making a face.

"Well then I should get packed and go to bed then," he said, grabbing my wrist to look at the time on my watch. "It's already one."

We were talking about Moroi time of course, which was the complete opposite of human. That made our morning their night and vice versa. I nodded, let him kiss my lips, and watched him leave. Although, I wouldn't let him leave until he promised to come back when he was finished packing. We had our own places and though we sometimes stayed the night with each other, we still lived predominantly on our own.

ooo . ooo . ooo . ooo . ooo

Ifell asleep before he came back, but when my alarm clock went off and I tried to hit the snooze button, a hand clasped over mine jarring me awake. Instinct told me to grab my stake, but a second later I realized it was only Dimitri. He studied his face and frowned a little. It didn't look like he slept much at all, but he seemed awake enough.

"If you really want to come with me to Baia," he began. "You don't have time to sleep in."

Groaning, I forced myself out of bed and grabbed the outfit I had laid out before I went to sleep. I was vaguely aware of Dimitri's gaze following my every movement as I made my way to my bathroom to change in peace. When I finished my shower and changing, I stepped out to find Dimitri eying me with all his emotions out in the open. I shook my head and slipped on my shoes as he held out a plate of doughnuts for me. They were chocolate of course. I ate them as we headed to the airport inside Court, arguing with Dimitri the entire way as he carried both my luggage and his and refused to let me help.

* * *

><p><strong>So there's no poem clip for this one. I couldn't find one that fit. Anyway RR and I hope you enjoy it. So next chapter we get to meet the mystery girl that's tagging along with Abe.**


	4. The Trip

The flight was indeed a long one, and I slept for most of it. I fell asleep, cuddled up to Dimitri almost as soon as we leveled out. I didn't wake up until the airplane began to rock. It jolted me awake immediately, but I was still groggy. So, when I felt something take hold of me I yelped and looked around frantically only to see Dimitri as the sensation left me. He looked down at me, concerned.

"Turbulence," He said.

"I know what it is," I said, rolling my eyes as I settled back down in my seat and peaked out of my window. "Where are we?"

It was cloudy out; so much so that I couldn't even begin to guess the time. I suppose it didn't really matter. There was probably no real way to tell where we were. We were probably in the middle of the ocean or something. What I was really asking was how much longing would we be in the air for.

"We're almost at the airport," he said. "Abe talked to me last night before I came back to your room. He said there would be someone waiting to take us to my mother's. He wouldn't say who and then mysteriously took off."

That was my father for you. Then again, that was also a Turkish mob boss, too. Yeah, my bloodline was seriously screwed up between Abe's illegal lifestyle and my mother's reputation. I stayed silent until a voice proclaimed it was time to buckle up because we were about to land. I finally my mouth then, though it was something I had intended to address. It just slipped out.

"This will be the first time your family sees as together as couple in the same place," I murmured. "I mean. They knew I loved you when I came to them, but all they had to go on was what I told them and their own imagination."

Dimitri was silent. He didn't say a thing and the silence dragged for so long that I finally looked over at him. To my utter shock and confusion, his Guardian mask was up and he was staring blankly ahead of him. I reached out and slipped my hand in his, biting my lip a little.

"Dimitri?"

"It's the first time I'll be home since I was Strigoi," he said, tone so softly I wasn't even sure I heard him right.

Suddenly I understood, though. He was worried about how everyone would react to him now. He may have forgiven himself, but that didn't mean he forgot. My thoughts flashed to the way he was treated by Court after Lissa healed him and I looked back out the window to hide a cringe. He didn't want the same reaction from his own family. Sure they talked to him on the phone, but that wasn't the same as facing them in person.

"You're worried I'll get myself in trouble if someone says something about it," I said.

"I'm worried you'll make a big deal about something even if it's nothing," he said. "I'm still glad you forced me to let you come."

"Good, because I would've come regardless."

"I know. It's why I'm glad I gave in. I would've probably found you dead in my suitcase from suffocation or something."

I snorted and elbowed him hard in the ribs. He grunted but chuckled at his joke. Though it was an irritating jibe to my stubbornness and whacky logic, I had to admit he was probably right. Not that I thought I'd die. No I would certainly have found a way to get out of the suitcase before I suffocated. I wasn't that dumb. The rest of the flight I was silent. I still kept quiet when we landed and got off the plane. It actually wasn't until we reached the luggage claims that I finally uttered anything at all.

"Where the hell is my bag!" I exclaimed after a good ten minutes of waiting.

Dimitri had gotten his quick enough. It was of course me who had to wait. I hated waiting and I was pissed. In fact I was plotting some wonderfully, colorful threats to whoever was in charge of returning people's bags. I think Dimitri guessed the direction of my train of thought, because he came over to me and clamped a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't a rough or overly painful hold, but the warning was clear. I was to keep my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself. He was probably right. I would probably end up arrested as a potential terrorist threat. I sighed and contented myself with my imaginings.

In all honesty, the thought was laughable. However, I did have the tendency to give off the wrong impression. Sighing, I looked around until my eyes fell on a woman grabbing a bag. She looked like a runway model. She was about my height, perhaps an inch or two taller. She was voluptuous with dark black hair. No matter how unnaturally gorgeous she was, my attention wasn't on her. No, I was eying the bag she had grabbed. It was black with a some purple and blue markings. I knew that bag, especially since I made the markings myself.

"That bitch is stealing my bag!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"Easy, Roza," Dimitri murmured in my ear.

I would have ripped him a new one had the bitch not straightened up and started walking . . . toward us. I froze and eyed her suspiciously. I was vaguely aware of Dimitri's thumb rubbing smooth circles into my shoulder. He was trying to keep me from making a scene no doubt. I frowned and leaned back against him as the woman closed the distance between us, stopping right in front of me.

"Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov," she said. "Follow me."

I blinked and watched as she spun on her heel and headed off. I frowned even more and glanced over to Dimitri. He looked down at me, shrugged and followed the woman out of the building. I nearly collided into him when I saw the woman talking to what could only be described as a Turkish pirate slash mob boss...

And consequently, my father.

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><p><strong>So here you go. Chapter four. It's a little short but my birthday is tomorrow... err I guess today (2 am here). S<strong>**o I'm hoping to get chapter five up either for later today or tomorrow.**


	5. Interrupted

_Without giving troubles, you cannot live._

_Without getting troubles you cannot live._

_You have to pluck and to be plucked in turn._

_Life is the bed of rose studded with thorns._

"_**A Bed of Rose and Thorns" - Chettiar.**_

"What the hell are you doing here, Old Man?" I asked, crossing my arms and staring at him. "And who's she?"

"I told your boyfriend that I was going to arrange transportation to Baia," he said. "_Aikaterine Vixenna _happens to be that transportation."

"If you value your life, you'll call me Vixen or Vix," she said, slinging my back over her shoulder. "Not Aikaterine. Not Kat. Not Vixenna. Is that understood?"

I nodded curtly, but paused as I met her eyes for the first time. At first glance, I had thought they were your average blue. They were electric blue, and for a moment I could have sworn the pupils were slitted like a cat's and had even turned gold. It was gone so fast that I was sure it was my imagination. I looked over at Dimitri and relaxed when I saw he was. As I looked up again she was gone. I gave my father a questioning look. He shrugged and pointed to the car behind him. I swear at the sight of it my mouth literally hit the floor.

She was putting my bag into the trunk of a silver Nissan GT-R. I wasn't into cars all that much, but I had been spending a lot of time with Lissa since she was my charge. She had been looking at cars in an attempt to find a good gift for Christian. The GT-R was actually one that Lissa was still debating on. I had to admit, it was a great car. Christian would probably love it. That didn't mean he would necessarily accept it. That whole money thing would be the deciding factor. He was a lot like me and neither of us liked Lissa spending all her money on us. It would be an amusing Christmas for sure.

"Nice car," I said as I walked over and got into the back, behind the passenger seat.

Dimitri followed me but paused as he saw the space in the back. It would be a very uncomfortably tight fit for him, but I could tell he was going to suffer through it. I was just starting to shake my head when my father shoved him aside and got into the back with me. Dimitri looked like he was going to argue. Oh who was I kidding? Of course he was going to argue. This was Dimitri we were talking about. It was obvious he would much rather be seated beside me. He was sometimes even more stubborn than me, but he would more comfortable up front than he would back there.

"It's cramped back here," I said. "You'll be much more comfortable up front."

He sighed before getting into the car. I quickly leaned forward to kiss the back of his head. His hand grabbed me by the neck as he shifted to face me. He met my gaze for a long moment. He whispered something in Russian before he captured my lips in his for a kiss. It was full of his love for me and so much more.

"I suggest, you remove your lips from my daughter's if you want to keep your heads," Abe grumbled, forcing Dimitri and me back to reality.

I groaned loudly, which made Dimitri chuckle a little as he turned his back to me and buckled up. I did the same and settled back in my seat, shoving my headphones in my ears as I turned on my mp3. I watched the scenery pass by for an hour or so, listening to my music. A glorious sunset was forming when I pulled an earpiece out and turned to Vixen.

"Will we make it to Baia before nightfall?" I asked. "Are we going to stop for the night?"

"I don't know," she said, "And I'm driving through."

"What about Strigoi?"

"They're idiots if they think they can take me on."

"Vixen has quiet a few talents," Abe said.

"Which aren't important at the moment," Vixen said in a clipped tone.

I put my earpiece back on went back to listening to my music. When the sunset began to fade to twilight, I put away my mp3 and straightened up. I could tell Dimitri had grown more alert as well. My father was quiet. Actually, with his head against the window and his eyes closed, he looked like he was sleeping. Vixen had her eyes on the road, the perfect example of tranquility. She didn't seem worried at all. In fact — soon after I made my observation — she slipped a CD in and turned up the volume.

Okay she was definitely not dhampir or moroi. I would've thought she was human had it not been for Abe's vague statement. Besides, she knew about us and didn't have the mark of an Alchemist. That begged the question of what was she. Or maybe I was over thinking. Maybe she was moroi. My musings were interrupted as the car came to a sudden halt that sucked me forward toward Dimitri's seat. I swore darkly under my breath and glared at the back of her head as she carelessly got out of the car. I got out after her but not nearly as calmly as she had. In fact, I was livid and rounded the car ready to smack her.

"Wait for it," she murmured, holding up a hand to halt me as she studied the nails of her other hand.

I paused only because her expression confused me. How could she just stand there without a care in the world when Strigoi could attack us at any given moment. I spun around with a frustrated breath just in time to see Dimitri get out of the car.

"You know," Vixen suddenly said, way too loudly for my liking, "if you are just going to follow us, I would like to know. I much rather kick some ass. So please come out."

I was about to make a snide remark about how talking to thin air was a sign of insanity when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head just in time to see three Strigoi come out of the cover of trees. I pulled out my stake, aware of Dimitri doing the same. I glanced over at Vixen as one of the three charged her. It was to my complete surprise to see her dodge and start fighting the man. It only took her a second to stake him. Dimitri was already at it with the other male.

That meant I had the woman. She was pretty for something so evil. Her hair was a luscious red put up in a tight French twist. She was dressed modernly — jeans and a plain t-shirt — but I had the feeling she pretty old. Testing my theory, I struck out with my stake. Some of the younger ones would miss that or fumble. She did neither. Instead, she grabbed at me. I dodged her and went into a round house kick. She blocked it and sent me flying into the nearest tree. I did a quick sweep around me to find that two more Strigoi had joined the fray were double-teaming her.

Dimitri was still fighting his oponent, and mine was now coming at me again. I flipped myself up onto my feet, still holding my stake, and kicked her. My foot connected with her nose. I heard a sickening crunch followed by a wail of pain and fury. Then, I went to shove my stake into her chest only to have her knock it out of my hand. Swearing under my breath, I dived for it. That was my only stake, since my spare one was packed up. I hit the ground, grabbed the stake, and jumped to my feet. I spun on my heeled just in time to see the Strigoi lunge at me. I took the chance and shoved the stake through her chest.

It was only then that I realized Dimitri finished his Strigoi. Vixen staked her last one as my gaze shifted to her. I dragged my Strigoi into the trees to hide her then helped with the others. Dimitri made a faint marker that no one would see unless they new what to look for so that the alchemist could find the bodies a little easier. I called the Alchemists. We had been sure to get the number of the one who replaced Sydney before we left. I even went out of my way to introduce myself to him and what he should expect from us. After I told him about the Strigoi, I got into the car, astonished to find Abe still asleep.

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><p><strong>Okay some pics are up in my profile. I pic of Vixen and her eyes. I will probably have more pics up later. Anyway read and review please.<strong>


	6. Sweet Dreams

_Him the vindictive rod of angry justice_

_Sent quick and howling to the center headlong;_

_I, fed with judgment, in a fleshly tomb, am_

_Buried above ground._

"_**Hatred and vengeance, my eternal portion" - WilliamCowper**_

The moment we pulled up to Olena's house, it was all I could do to not start snapping at everyone. As it was, I did attempt to push Dimitri out of the car. He grumbled something in Russian before getting out. He spun around, pulled up the passenger seat and helped me out. He looked annoyed about my behavior.

"What?" I asked innocently. "One more second in there and I would've started screaming."

"It wasn't that bad."

I snorted and scurried off toward the house. I pounded on the door hard, and waited for someone to answer it. Really I wanted to say hi to everyone, get some food in me, and crash for the night. Then wake up and get serious with the whole Viktoria issue.

"You know, Rose, it wouldn't hurt to help with the bags," Dimitri called from the car.

"What bags? We only brought one each."

Rolling my eyes I turned around and hurried back to the car. I knew he was teasing, but that didn't mean he wasn't even slightly right. Still, my bag was huge. I hated the thing, but Lissa bought it and insisted I use it on this trip. I grabbed my bag just as the front door opened to reveal a disgruntled old woman in her night clothes. Yeva, and she was spouting off in angry Russian. I looked from her to Dimitri in slight confusion. To further that confusion, Dimitri was a stark contrast to his grandmother's bad mood. He looked almost amused as he replied to her in his native tongue. She grumbled something before retreating back into the house, slamming the door closed behind her.

"She wanted to know why we would attempt to knock down the door in the middle of the night then leave to get bags," he said. "And apparently she's disgruntled that we took so long to get here. I apologized, then she grumbled about some black bread on the kitchen counter and how if we make a mess she'll have our heads."

"Comrade, your grandmother's scarier than Abe," I said.

"I HEARD THAT!" Abe shouted at the same time Dimitri said, "I told you so."

I shook my head and then suddenly paused as something clicked. I turned a bright smile to Dimitri and said, "There's black bread?"

Dimitri chuckled and nodded as he led the way up the walk to the house. I looked over my shoulder to see Abe and Vixen getting back in the car and watched them drive off. Shaking my head, I followed Dimitri up to the front door just as he opened it and stepped aside to let me in first. I set my bag against the wall by a coatrack and hurried off into the kitchen in search of the black bread and some butter and jelly. I was smearing some peach preserves over a second slice I'd just buttered when Dimitri walked in.

I handed him the slice and cut myself another before buttering it and dousing it with preserves. I was on my seventh one when he took the knife from me. I watched him with a raised eyebrow as he dropped in the sink and began to put everything the away.

"What the hell?" I asked, frowning a little.

"If you eat it all, no one will have any for breakfast," he explained. "I put our bags in my room, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one tired."

Sighing, I nodded and let him lead me to his room. I grabbed my bag off the bed and rummaged through it until I found the nightgown I wanted. As I turned to go change in the bathroom, Dimitri snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I rested my head back as he kissed the crook of my neck. I smiled, turned in his arms and kissed him.

"I have to change," I said. "And if I change in here, we'll never get to sleep. You'll have to deal with Cranky Rose in the morning."

"I don't mind dealing with Cranky Rose," he said. "I can usually turn her into Content Rose fairly easily."

He was teasing me and his tone was light, but I could see an edge to his mood hidden deep in his eyes. He was trying to act like everything was okay, but that couldn't stop him from worrying about his sister. I had a feeling he probably wanted to see her or talk any of them. It was late, and they were all asleep. As badly as he craved answers, he didn't want to wake his family up. He kissed my lips one last time before letting go of me.

"You'll get your answers when we wake up," I assured him before leaving the room.

I stopped briefly at Viktoria's room. My hand was halfway to the doorknob before stopped myself from peaking in on her. First off, I hadn't been there in over a year. The room I remembered as hers might actually not be hers anymore. I didn't want to accidentally peek in on Sonya or Karolina. Sighing, I headed a little further down the hall until I found the bathroom. I slipped in and quietly shut the door before quickly changing into my nightgown. I washed my face really quick before I returned to Dimitri's room.

He was lying down on top of the covers, just staring up at the ceiling. His chest was bare, the only thing he was wearing being his boxers. The moment I shut the door, his head turned to me. He smiled at me and shifted over so I could slip in next to him under the covers. To my disappointment, he got out of bed a moment later. I was just about protest when I saw he was just getting in under the covers as well. I snuggled into him and buried my face into his hard, warm chest. He kissed my forehead and wrapped me in his arms.

"I love you, you stubborn woman," he murmured.

With that, I fell into a pleasant sleep. I dreamed that night of something both strange and wonderful all at the same time. I was outside with Dimitri and several kids, but I recognized Paul and Zoya. Then there was a baby in Sonya's arms. Of course there were also Viktoria, Karolina and Olena. Yeva was no where to be seen. We talked and joked and Paul kissed my cheek out of nowhere and took off running.

It was all vibrant and happy. Then everything changed in a drastic sort of way. I was alone for one and my surroundings were dreary. It took me a moment to see it for what it was — a spirit dream. Frowning, I looked around. I didn't know who would be in my dreams right now. Victor Dashkov's brother hadn't bothered me so I figured if he hadn't then he wasn't going to. Sonya Karp wouldn't have a reason. Adrian was angry with me. Lissa was still not successful with it. When I saw Adrian standing there, I completely froze. Even in a dream he seemed different. Something was off with him, and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know what that something was.

"Hello, Rose," he said. "Having fun on your little trip?"

"Adrian, what are you doing in my head?" I asked. "Let me go to sleep."

He shook his head and began laughing. I stepped away from him. I couldn't help but back away a little. He immediately stopped laughing and turned a glare on me. The laugh was bad on its own, unhinged and wrong. Couple it with that glare, and I was nervously wishing to wake up.

"You are asleep, aren't you? I just want you to listen to me, Rose."

"Adrian, please."

"You know your auras been shining even more lately," he murmured in such a way that I was certain he was actually talking more to himself than to me. "It's shining now. How's Belikov doing?"

"Let me wake up and I—"

Wind suddenly started whipping around with the force of a small hurricane. Too dazed by the suddenness of it, I froze as Adrian grabbed me by the arms roughly.

"You will shut up and listen to me."

I nodded slowly, ripping myself out of his grip. At that point, I was forced to admit he had thoroughly lost his mind. I didn't know what to expect from him though. I just knew that even in a dream I wouldn't be able to really hurt him. I still saw him as my friend even if he didn't view me as the same. The only problem was, I didn't know what exactly to expect from him. I mean I'd seen him when the darkness started getting to him. He had never been violent, but then he had never been angry. I flashed back to the time Lissa lost it on Jesse Zeklos. Then, I thought about my own spouts with it. I had wanted to kill Jesse. I _had _killed Victor. He was certainly capable of doing the same, but if he killed me now, would I die in real life? I frowned at the thought. How would Dimitri take it if he woke up to see me dead?

"You were supposed to be with me," Adrian said, shaking me out of my thoughts. "You weren't supposed to cheat on me with the fucking Strigoi."

"He's a dha—"

I was cut off by the back of his hand connecting with the side of my face. I had to admit that Adrian could hit for a moroi, but then, this was a dream so maybe he could make himself lift an elephant with his pinky. Slowly turned my head back to glare at him. Pissed was an understatement to the emotion I was feeling. The slap hurt like a bitch, and I really wanted to punch him. The only reason I held back was because I really didn't know the limitations of a spirit dream. I didn't want Dimitri to wake up and find me dead, especially if he ended up losing Viktoria too.

"I gave you everything. I gave up everything for you, and spit in my face. You slept with him that night I came into your dreams and your aura was the sun, didn't you? You stood there and let me believe we were okay. You stood there and lied to my face. Even now, you're with him, aren't you?"

I didn't answer, and that only made him angrier. He was suddenly shaking me roughly. Instinct won out then. The self-preservation finally took over, and I lashed out in defense. My fist collided with his nose, and I was both satisfied and guilt-ridden at the sound of cartilage snapping. A sound escaped him that terrified me. It was so angry that it didn't even sound human. I hurriedly stepped away from him only for his hands to almost wrap around my throat. Terrified of what he might do, I kicked him away from me. He made that sound again, but then the world around us began to fade to nothing. I shot up in Dimitri's bed with a sharp gasp

"Roza?" Dimitri's sleepy voice immediately rang through the air. "All you all right?"

"Bad dream," I whispered kissing his cheek. "Go back to sleep. I'm just going to go get me a glass of water."

He nodded, and a moment later I heard his snores. I smiled at that only to stop when I felt pain and tightness, like a forming bruise. Frowning, I got out of bed and headed off to the kitchen. I stole a slice of black bread and poured myself a glass of water as I glanced over at the clock. It was six in the morning, and I was wide awake. Sighing, I ate my slice of bread, downed it with the water and hurried off to the bathroom. I shut the door and glanced at my reflection. What I saw shocked me. There was indeed a bruise forming where Adrian had backhanded me.

I shook my head at my reflection and rummaged through the drawers and cabinets until I found a decent concealer. I wasn't planning on telling Dimitri what happened. I certainly didn't want to explain to him why I wouldn't talk about a random bruise that just appeared in my sleep. I wasn't the one he needed to worry about, especially when the problem wasn't all that serious. No, Viktoria was a lot more important than I and a stupid little dream argument with a spirit-user that had obviously lost his mind. I finished with the make-up and left the bathroom, silently slipping back into Dimitri's just long enough to grab my phone and slip back out. I slipped out of the house and speed-dialed Lissa. If Adrian wasn't pissed now, he was going to be.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it. As for Adrian, he is indeed going crazy from spirit, but I'm sure he'll be just fine. I'm just not sure when. Also anyone know how tall Abe is, I can't remember. Vixen will be back next chapter and something else will be revealed about our mysterious little she-devil, and you'll get a glimpse of what Dimitri is in for with his ailing sister.<strong>


	7. Welcome Home

I told Lissa everything that happened. She didn't want to believe me, and went and asked Adrian. I could hear him raging in the background the moment my name left Lissa's lips. There was a scream from Lissa and an angry tirade from what sounded like Christian. Some scuffling came next, then silence followed and dragged out for a few minutes.

"Lissa?" I asked, a little panicked since I didn't know what was going on. "Liss, what happened? Answer me. Are you okay."

"Rose?" Lissa said at last. "I'm going to have to call you back. A few guardian's had to knock Adrian out and are taking him to get looked at. I want to make sure he's okay and will be treated correctly."

"Yeah, okay," I murmured. "Keep me updated."

She agreed and we exchanged goodbyes. I hung up my cell and sighed. If it had been anyone else I wouldn't have been able to worry pass the rage. I knew him, though, and this was not him. It was the darkness of spirit that was making him act like this, and I had hurt him. I couldn't blame him for spirit amplifying his anger toward me. He was being taken care of now anyway. I just hoped he would be okay, and that he would eventually forgive me. Then, I could smack the shit out of him.

Shaking off the thought I turned around to head back inside until freeze before I nearly plowed into Yeva. The woman was standing akimbo in the doorway, glaring at me. _Great, just flippin' great,_ I thought as I my eyes narrowed on Dimitri's grandmother. I couldn't help but wonder how much she heard of my phone call and how much of that she already knew.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be up?" I asked.

"It's breakfast time, and I should ask you the same thing," she grumbled. "You're the one who has been up since the crack of dawn. On the phone outside, no less."

"I was just letting Lissa know we arrived safely," I mumbled.

"And telling her something you should be telling my grandson, but we both know you won't."

That froze me entirely. I had a feeling she knew about last night, and something told me she had known before the phone call. I shifted a little uncomfortably where I stood.

"What's the point in telling him when it's taken care? He has Viktoria to worry about. He shouldn't have to worry about me, too, especially when I'm fine."

"He has a right to know and you know it."

"Don't you dare tell him about this," I hissed angrily as closed the distance between us.

"Not my place, but he won't be happy when he finds out," she said, stepping aside to let me in. "And it might be sooner than you think."

I chose to ignore those words, especially since she would probably have some more wonderful witty retorts for whatever I said anyway. Instead, I just let out a sigh and headed to the kitchen to find Olena cooking at the stove and Dimitri sitting at the table talking to Karolina and Sonya. I grinned lightly, made my way over to them, mumbled a good morning, and kissed Dimitri on his cheek. He turned his head to plant a kiss on my lips, and I smiled into it as I returned it.

"I'll be right back," I told them. "I need to change."

They all nodded, and I could feel Dimitri's eyes on me as I left. I went into Dimitri's and grabbed the outfit I wanted to wear for the day. I shut and locked the door before I undressed and realized that I wouldn't be able to where the shirt I wanted. On my arms were marks from Adrian when he had grabbed them and shook me. The bruises formed hand prints, and there were crescent-shaped cuts from his nails digging into my skin. Oh well, it was going to be too cold for short sleeves if we decided to go out anyway. I grabbed a shirt with long sleeves and slipped it on over my bra before slipping into a pair of jeans. Then I headed to the bathroom to make touch up the make-up over my bruised cheekbone. Satisfied with its invisibility, I headed back down the stairs. I was stopped midway as I heard Yeva and Dimitri talking to each other in Russian.

I listened in, wishing I knew what they were talking about. The only things I managed to weave out and understand was Roza and Viktoria. I know she said she wasn't going to tell him, but I couldn't help but worry that she had changed her mind or lied. I knew I shouldn't keep this from him, and I _was_ planning on telling him. I just wanted to make sure Viktoria was going to be okay first. As my name was mentioned once again from Dimitri, I started moving down the stairs again.

"You know, it's not polite to talk about someone when they're not there," I said, stopping beside Dimitri as I spoke. "Even less so when I have no idea what you're saying about me."

"We were talking about Viktoria, Rose," Dimitri said

"And my name came up, why?"

Yeva muttered something in Russian which earned a confused look from Dimitri and left us. Dimitri then turned to me, sighed and shook his head. I could tell he was feeling exasperated with me, probably because I had a tendency to take things slightly out of context. Trying to prevent a Zen Life Lesson from being brought into the conversation I gave him my biggest man-eating grins. His gaze met mine with the unyielding mask of stoicism that he was so good at.

"No matter the topic's subject, if you drop a name or names you are still talking about them," I said. "The only thing I got out of that conversation was my name and your sister's. Is it a bad thing that I would like to know what you two were talking about?"

"She was telling me about how close you were with Viktoria the last time you were here," he said. "She also said when you left, Viktoria didn't seem all that worried about the suddenness of it."

I nodded my head and opened my mouth to speak when Olena's voice proclaiming that breakfast was ready. Sighing I made off for the kitchen behind Dimitri. He took a seat to the right of Karolina and I sat between him and Sonya just as Olena set the plates of eggs, toast, and bacon in the center of the table. She sat down between Yeva and Karolina, and as if it were some sort of cue, the atmosphere became much darker.

"Would someone please tell me what happened to Viktoria now?" Dimitri asked.

The question didn't surprise. It was his tone of voice. For once it was shaky and full of emotion. Sighing as the faces of the others dropped and/or paled, I grabbed for Dimitri's hand under the table and gave it a comforting squeeze.

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><p><strong>So Yeva definitely knows something and she's not happy that Rose doesn't plan on telling her grandson, but hmm can Yeva keep it to herself. *snickers* This is going to start getting fun, and you'll finally know exactly what's wrong with Viktoria. Well not exactly but we will start getting further into whats wrong with her. Oh and Adrian might not be done with Rose just yet.<strong>

**Anyway, read and review please. I really hope you enjoyed this update. **


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